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Mystery Boxee buyer kicking in less than hoped, report says

Boxee is set to reveal its acquisition next week, VentureBeat reports, but the price is said to be less than the funds-seeking startup would have liked.

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Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
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  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
Joan E. Solsman
Boxee

Boxee is ready to unveil its acquisition next week, though for less than the startup had hoped for, according to a VentureBeat report citing unnamed sources.

Having initially attempted a new round of funding, Boxee started courting outright buyers over the last few months, which yielded only a few offers, according to the report.

A Boxee spokeswoman declined to comment.

Boxee was among the first companies to offer a product that streams movies and shows from Internet services directly to the TV, but the company has grappled to find purchase in a competitive market for its original vision and in the adjacent realms where it expanded.

As it broadened itself away from open-source software, it turned to services like cloud-based DVR. But the set-top box market has grown rife with competitors like Roku, and cable and satellite TV companies have their own DVR services.